Philanthropists Avnish and Anita Goyal, in partnership with Ensemble Couture, hosted a glittering event at The Montcalm, Marble Arch and raised £1,887 and also donated £5,000 to go towards supporting the School on Wheels initiative, which helps some of the poorest and most disadvantaged children in Mumbai, India.
Created by the Child Action’s Doorstep School project, Schools on Wheels are buses which are designed as mobile class rooms and are an effective strategy to reach out to the most unreached groups of out-of-school children i.e. street children and pavement dwellers. It also acts as an emergency class room where space is a constraint.
Non-formal education classes are run on School on Wheels and an attempt is made to mainstream the child once an expected level is achieved. Substance abuse and other health related issues, social awareness, etc. are addressed along with imparting literacy on School on Wheels.
The Hemraj Goyal Foundation joined forces with Ensemble Couture to support this worthy cause by hosting The Fashion Affair event, which had over 100 people in attendance and was hosted by TV personality and radio presenter Suzi Mann.
The event featured an exclusive raffle with prizes including a pair of Lucy Choi designer shoes, a set of Arsenal FC club level tickets, an afternoon tea experience at The Montcalm, and an outfit from Ensemble’s own collection.
To conclude the evening, Avnish and Anita Goyal took to the stage to present Seema Sharma, CEO of Child Action, with a cheque for £5,000; kick-starting the fundraising for the new school bus. Guests then enjoyed an intimate performance by British-Indian singer H Dhami, whose performance had most of the guests on the dance floor within minutes.
Speakers at the event included the Hemraj Goyal Foundation’s Director Anita Goyal who introduced the Doorstep School project with an engaging video clip from Mumbai. This was followed by Child Action’s CEO Seema Sharma, whose emotive speech described how her own week-long experience in the slums of Mumbai, living with 1 million people in 1 square mile, led to the creation of Child Action.
Anita Goyal said: “The Hemraj Goyal Foundation are pleased to have had this opportunity to collaborate with Ensemble Couture, to share our passion in supporting the phenomenal Doorstep School project in Mumbai. This event has kickstarted our fundraising for a new school bus to operate and support children with their education, and we are delighted that we were able to present Child Action with a cheque for £5,000 on the night.
“This event was a fantastic occasion to be part of, filled with fun, fashion, and fundraising.”
If you would like to attend or support any of HGF’s upcoming fundraising events, please contact Chesca for more information on info@hgf.org.uk.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.